Romantic Heart
by TealMoose
Summary: "The coward sneaks to death; the brave live on." -Dr. George Sewell. The guys have a lot to learn about life when the future of one of their own is threatened to be cut short. Can they handle the events to come? No Slash. ON HIATUS UNTIL 2012.
1. Chapter 1

**Bonjour. I'm finally making the transition from T&L to my new story! I couldn't wait til the last chapter, so I put this up early :D It's gonna be very angsty, my fellow readers! I hope you like the first chapter! (Hehe, you don't get to know who it's about until the next chapter! :P)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it... Yet. Muahahaha! No, if I owned it, it would be a drama, not a kid show :D But I don't so, boohoo for me! I'll be in my corner crying.**

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He has a romantic heart. Or at least, that's what he thinks he has. That's what Mommy tells him whenever they go to see the too-happy doctor at the too-happy hospital. He doesn't like going there. Not one bit.

The walls are an awful yellow color, attempting to bring false cheeriness into a dark and sorrowful place. The nurses always walk by offering fake smiles, as though it's going to make your stay any better. It doesn't. He has been here enough times to realize that no matter how many times they smile, the news never gets better. Once in a while, maybe. But most of the time? No.

He learned the difference between their various smiles. There are two that he knows of. One is given to the patient who has just given birth to the beautiful baby girl, or the patient who was cured and can go home.

He wished he could get _that _smile. But no. He gets the _other _one. The one given to the families of deceased patients, the one given to the patients who are told that they are terminally ill. The one given to him.

His Mommy told him earlier this morning that they had to go to the hospital today. "They are going to run a couple more tests." She had told him, grabbing his hand and ushering him out the door. He quickly grabbed his coat and slid his arms through the sleeves, welcoming the warmth. It was a freezing winter this time of year in Minnesota. Anyone not wearing a coat instantly got sick. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, the cold bit him on the nose and nipped at his finger. A wispy cough escaped from between his small lips. His Mommy threw him a worried glance. He brushed it off. He's had the cough since a year ago, and since then, has gotten used to it.

"C'mon hon, hurry and get in the car!" She plastered a hopeful smile on her face and helped him into the van, buckling him into his seat. The whole car ride was rather uneventful. It was actually spent in silence. Both him and his Mommy were too focused on other things to start small talking. No, "how was school?" or, "did you have fun at your friend's house?" Just… quiet.

And that's how he ended up here. Sitting on a table in the small, starchy, and uncomfortable doctor's office. The air smelled too clean. _Sort of like soap! _He thinks to himself. He swings his small legs back and forth, shivering as a chill travels down his spine. They had been to the doctor yesterday, where all they did was stick a swab to the back of his throat (his Mommy made him apologize after for throwing up on the nurse…) and listen to his heart _through a stethia- stethioso- hmm._

"Mommy?" He calls, breaking the deafening silence between them. His Mommy looks up from her twiddling thumbs and makes eye contact with her baby boy.

"Yes, baby?" He smiles. He loves it when his Mommy calls him those funny nicknames.

"Well, I was just wonderin what that funny thingy is that they put over my heart." His huge eyes grew wider as he waited for his Mommy's answer.

"It's a stethoscope, sweetie. They use it to hear your heart go- _thump thump!_" Mommy walks up to him and kneels down so that she is at eye level with him sitting on the table. She smiles and places her hand over his tiny one, moving it so that it's resting over his heart.

"Can you feel that?"

He giggles and begins to count how many _thumps _he feels.

"Momma?" He asks in a curious and small voice.

"Yeah?"

"Why are they always checkin my _thump thump_?" His Mommy looked him in the eyes and sighed. Her gaze drifted and she began to poke at his tiny feet that dangled helplessly off the edge of the table.

"Well honey," She started, looking really strained and sad. He immediately began to panic. He didn't like it when people were sad or cried. If talking about it was gonna make his Mommy sad, that he wanted to stop. Now.

"No, Mommy, it's okay." He urged her to stop, but she just smiled and chuckled.

"It's okay, baby. I'll tell you… when you were only four years old, you came down with an infection called strep throat. Remember when you're throat hurt and you had to take that pink medicine?"

"Yup! It was icky!" He stuck his tongue out and his Mommy smiled.

"Yes, well, we gave you medicine, but it never got rid of the infection. This caused you to get sick, which led to your heart getting damaged." His Mommy gave him a sad smile, tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes.

He nodded slowly, remembering when he had to go through all of that. He remembered his first day of preschool, and how he wasn't allowed to run around like crazy like the rest of his three other best friends. It wasn't fair. Nor was it fun.

He was very curious now.

"Isn't that when you told me that I has a romantic heart?"

Mommy laughed once again.

"Not _romantic_, honey. Rheumatic." But to his childish ears, they sounded the same. He was about to say something to his Mommy when the happy-go-lucky doctor burst through the doors.

"Good evening!" He smiled and stuck his thick, sweaty hand out to shake Mommy's hand and then mine. As soon as the doctor turned to walk back to his chair, he retracted his hand quickly and wiped it against his hospital gown. _Yuck! _A grimace was on his face, but as soon as he saw his Mommy give him a stern glare, it vanished.

"So, do you have any good news?" Mommy asked, fiddling nervously with the straps of her purse. Her eyes held hope. Determination. Love.

"Actually Miss, I do. Great news, to be exact!" Mommy nodded and stared at the doctor in anticipation.

A few seconds passed.

"It's gone."

A couple more… and… Mommy jumped up in the air and started screaming words of joy. Or at least, that's what he thought they were.

"Are you s-serious?" She stuttered, a huge smile emerging on her lips.

"Completely! But I can't stress enough how important it is that you keep him from getting the infection again."

His Mommy burst into laughter and hugged the doctor. Then him. He looked at his Mommy and giggled, relieved to see her happy again. As long as she's happy, he's happy. His Mommy picked him up from the table, helped him get changed, and then carried him out of the room, stopping to pick up a sticker on the way out.

They spent the rest of the day doing fun things; going to the playground, buying hot chocolate, watching a movie… He's never seen his Mommy so happy before.

But he was glad that he could be the cause of it.

Unfortunately, he never realized that in 10 years he would once again begin to receive those horrid smiles from the nurses, and he would once again cause his family and friend's the same grief that his mother had to go through alone. Maybe even worse.

Well, you know what they say. Whatever happens one, will definitely happen again.

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**Wowzers. Can anyone guess who it is? Go on, guess! Lol. I bet everyone knows _. You reviewers always do. **

**It's creepy. **

**Lol. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :D**

**Whatever the aliens say,**

**TealMoose**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone :D**

**Sorry for not updating for so long! I've been focusing on grades and school work, so I've had NO time to write whatsoever. Also, my muse went on vacation... But I'm back now, and I am pretty amazed by the response to this story! **

**10 reviews? That's crazy! I love you guys so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Thank you so much! And guess what? You get to find out who the kid is in this chapter! A couple of reviewers got it right :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTR.**

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Rays of sunlight filtered through the colorful blinds that were shielding the windows. Dust particles floated around the room, prancing around at even the slightest change in movement, or the tiniest whisper of a breath. It was about Seven a.m. on a Wednesday morning.

Soft snores were the loudest noise consuming the semi-large apartment. Behind that, you could hear the heater humming, struggling non-stop to keep out the December chill. If you listened closely enough, you could hear the howling wind seeping through the cracks under the window panes, creating a shrill-like whine.

Kendall languidly opened his sleep filled eyes. He groaned, throwing off his covers and rolling off of his low bed. Every morning, the guy's had to wake up at Seven in the morning and be at the studio by Eight. It was the price to pay for being uprising popstars.

The morning routine was usually the following... Kendall wakes up first, then James, then Carlos, and finally Logan (since he _insists _that he needs eight hours of sleep.) While Kendall and Carlos dress, Logan goes to make breakfast, and James usually occupies the bathroom for about Forty minutes. Once perfection is reached, James would clear the bathroom, leaving Kendall, Carlos, and Logan to suffocate in the heavily polluted Cuda Man spray air. When everyone was done, they would enjoy a five minute breakfast, and then run out of the Palmwoods to catch the waiting limo. During this whole process though, they have to keep completely silent, due to the fact that Mrs. Knight and Katie are still sleeping.

The guy's had gotten used to their routine, adjusting to fit in time for everyone's needs.

But today? It didn't start out as it normally would.

Kendall sucked in a breath and heaved himself off the chilly floor, putting his hand on the bedside table for support as he stood up. He drowsily blinked and used his fists to rub his red eyes, clearing his once bleary vision. He looked over his shoulder when he heard soft mumbling coming from behind him. _James is talking in his sleep again... I really need to start recording him sometime, _Kendall chuckled lightly, which turned into a faint wheeze. James's head was peaking up from under his multiple blankets, his newly darkened hair splayed out over his blue pillow. The guy's found it amazing how even when James was sleeping, he could still manage to wake up with almost perfect hair. He weakly ran his fingers through his messy blonde locks.

_Too bad it doesn't work that way for the rest of us. _Kendall yawned into his elbow and shuffled out of his and James's shared room, being careful not to slam the thin white door so that his friend wouldn't wake.

Kendall groaned as he pulled his legs through the hallway. He felt unnaturally stiff today. He rolled his shoulders and swung his lanky arms, stretching out his tired joints. Not to mention, there was also a dull ache building up at the back of his throat. As he made his way into the empty kitchen area, he let out a light cough. The cough was dry and whispy, scratching and clawing at his throat as it made it's way up. Kendall reached and put his rough hand around his neck, wincing as he rubbed back and forth.

He continued shuffling into the kitchen until he ended up infront of the stainless steel fridge. He opened the door and peered inside, squinting at the bright flourescent lights. Finally, he found what he wanted and placed the water container on a nearby counter. Kendall shut the door and poured himself a glass of water. _Anything to help this cough... _He thought to himself, sliding the water container away and picking up the glass.

He held the glass to his lips and let the water slide down his parched throat. It felt like he had been a desert for a week without water. The ice cold liquid felt soothing against his burning throat. Kendall placed the glass back down on the counter after finishing his drink in two gulps. He sighed and walked over to the neon orange couch, plopping down and resting his feet on the coffee table in front of him. He lay his head down on the coushined armrest, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. A couple of minutes later, tiredness enveloped his body, causing him to fall back into a deep slumber.

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James's eyes flew open the moment he heard the door click shut. He sat up quickly in bed and threw his legs off the side. _Kendall is awake five minutes too early... _James scowled and got up from his bed, wavering as the blood rushed to his brain from standing up too fast. He shook his head and scurried over to the closet, throwing on a t-shirt. The last time he had walked around the apartment without anything on top, he had practically been killed by Katie chucking hard objects at him from on top of the swirly slide. _She even hit me with her eyes shut! _

James growled and mumbled incoherently to himself, stalking towards to door and pulling it open. Before walking out, he stole a glance in the mirror that he had hung on their door. He flashed his million dollar smile and flipped his hair.

"Lookin good, Diamond." He quickly boosted his confidence and finally walked out the door, closing it gently behind him. Slowly, he tip toed through the hallway until he came into the bright living area. He looked to his right and saw that someone had ben in the kitchen, since the was a lone empty glass, and the fridge wasn't closed all the way.

James walked over to the refridgerator and pressed the door shut, taking his hands off the handles and rubbing them together. December was freezing in Los Angeles. James remembered back in Minnesota, where they would have snow practically all year, and some people were so used to it that they could walk outside without a jacket. He had never been one of those people willing to risk getting sick over that, but he was very comfortable in the cold. As were his friends.

But ever since coming to Los Angeles, the boy's have gotten so used to the warmth and sunny days, that when a sudden snowday came in the middle of December, nobody was prepared. Ever since that day(which was only a couple of days ago) L.A. has been nothing but freezing, and a bunch of people were coming down with colds.

Fortunately, none of his friends have gotten sick yet. James believed that it was due to the fact that Mrs. Knight was always forcing them to layer tons of cloths, especially Kendall for some reason. _Probably because he's her son. That's all, _he thinks to himself as he walks over to the sitting room. _Speaking of Kendall..._

James looks down at the sleeping form of his best friend, glaring and crossing his arms. Kendall's head is resting on his chest, which moved slowly up and down. His arms were by his sides, while his mouth hung open a bit. He actually looked quite peaceful except for how his brow was furrowed. James tapped his fingers against his forearm impatiently. Finally, he reacher down and flicked Kendall on the nose.

"Kendall! Wake up! NOW." Kendall's gradually opened his eyes, blinking multiple times and lifting his hand to rub his nose. He yawned once again and let out a cough.

James let his annoyed stance down for a second and replaced it with concern, but he quickly changed back. _It was just a cough, nothing to worry about... _

"Do you know why I'm upset, Kendall?" He waited while Kendall groaned and rubbed his eyes. He squinted and looked around the room with a dazed look on his face.

"Why? I was just sleeping..." He rubbed his throat.

James sighed and threw his hands up in the air. His friend's never understand how much time goes into making 'the face' what it currently is. He had to have the time precisely the same every single day. His looks were the best thing he had going for him (besides his oh-so-amazing voice), so he had to make sure he looked as good as possible.

"Y'know what? Nevermind. Just go back to your sleeping and ignore my needs!"

And strangely enough, Kendall did just that. He, once again, lowered his lids and fell asleep on the lumpy couch.

James's mouth curved into a small frown as he examined his best friend. _Maybe he was just staying up too late last night... Yeah, that's probably it. No need to worry at all._

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**And that, my dear readers, is chapter TWWOOOO! And guess what? The little boy was Kendall! It was him and Mrs. Knight :D I think I made it him, cause people would least expect it... Right?**

**Oh well... I really really hope that you liked this chapter :D I really enjoyed writing it. I tried to make James sound as concieted as possible, cause I need to show a major change in his personality later on in the story... Carlos and Logan will be in the next chapter!**

**Happy Halloween! Be safe!  
Whatever the aliens say,**

**TealMoose**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone :)  
Okay, well first, I would like to thank all of you for your kind reviews! THANK YOU! *sends out virtual hugs and bagels***

**SECOND, I don't know if I can say this enough, but I'M SORRY! I haven't updated in a really long time, and it's mostly because I've been focusing on grades a lot, and STUPID WRITERS BLOCK. Seriously, my writer's block is so big, I might need to invest in a pick-axe... Yeah.**

**I hope you can forgive me, and try to enjoy this sucky chapter! (It's mostly to get the block out of the way...)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own BTR. For now_... MUAHAHAHA._**

**_

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James crossed his arms and glared at his best friend, tilting his head to the side with a scowl playing on his lips.

"Humph." He growled, examining the sleeping form of Kendall.

At the moment, all four boys were sitting in the limo, waiting to arrive at Roque Records. James and Logan sat on one side, across from Carlos and Kendall. Logan was currently preoccupied with his _I'm a Teenage Doctor! _guide, reading ridiculous stories about teens that went to college early and got their PhD's. He stared at the pages with a curious glint in his chocolate brown eyes, his lips curved into a small twitch of a smile. James just rolled his eyes and looked at his Latino buddy.

Carlos was... being Carlos? He watched as Carlos pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and took off his helmet. Carlos took a deep breath and then began to buff out his helmet, making it shine to the best of his ablilities, his toungue sticking out the whole time. James quickly looked away, not wanting to focus on what his friend was doing any longer.

Carlos's weirdness was like a disease. You look at it for too long, and eventually, you start to do it too.

Finally, his gaze fell back on Kendall. His eyes squinted and his mouth scrunched. _Kendall... the one who messed up my morning routine. _The other two had noticed that the morning had been a bit messed up, but neither cared as much as James did, so they didn't mention it.

Kendall had slept the entire time until James had to force him up to get changed and clean up. Kendall had reluctantly done so, grumbling to himself the whole time while letting out weak coughs. The minute the car had started moving, James watched as Kendall had sunken into the leather seats, and instantly drifted off into slumberland.

He ran a hand through his hair and huffed. James was slightly worried about his friend. In all of Kendall's history, James had never seen him sick. They had met when they were five, and he never remembered one time when Kendall had to stay home from a fever. Sure, there had been one time where his mom wouldn't let him run around with his friends because he apparently wasn't in a "good condition", but that didn't really count, because he still acted normal and went to school. James took a minute to think about that year...

He remembered Kendall sitting out of gym and coughing a lot, always being excused to go to the nurse. And then there were the times when they would go outside, and his mom would bundle Kendall up like he was about to face a blizzard. James just assumed she was being overly-cautious. Kendall had told them that it was just a cold, while trying to talk over the consistent coughs. They sort of sounded like the ones he had now...

James was thrown out of his thoughts by the jolt of the car, coming to a stop.

"Alright boys, we're here!" Steve, the driver, called through the small screen.

"Thanks Steve!" they replied in unison. Logan, Carlos, and James hopped out of the car, waiting patiently for Kendall to get out... but he wasn't. Logan's brow furrowed as he walked towards the car.

"You guy's go in, keep Gustavo from breaking things! I'll get Kendall." He waved his hand towards the building.

"That's probably a good idea... Hey Carlos, you got those earmuffs that we bought?" James smiled and nodded at Carlos, whose hand was deep in his pocket.

"Oh yeah! I'm ready to take on the beast! Woohoo!" Carlos put on his earmuffs and then slapped his helmet. Two quick pats and a throw to James later, Carlos was already running to the front door. James put on his bedazzled earmuffs and laughed. Running to catch up with the hyper boy.

Logan sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"I gotta get new friends..." He chuckled and walked towards the car, leaning on the frame and crossing his arms. There Kendall sat, still sleeping in his seat. To be more exact, _snoring _and sleeping in his seat.

Logan leaned over and patted his friend on the cheek. "Hey! Kendall? You gonna wake up any time soon?"

Kendall shifted in his seat and moaned, letting out a scratchy cough. Logan turned his head in confusion, and unlike James, didn't let it go. Kendall's eyes were beginning to open as soon as Logan had begun to place his hand on his forehead. Logan could feel heat radiating off of his skin.

Kendall reeled back. But not before Logan could get a touch.

"WHOAH. What do you think your doing?" Kendall pushed himself out of the seat, holding in a groan, and shoved his way past Logan to get onto the sidewalk. They both moved away as Steve drove down the street. Logan turned to Kendall with a glare on his face.

"You're sick. You have a fever, and don't even try to hide it, because your face is flushed, and your forehead is burning up." He tapped his foot impatiently as Kendall just rolled his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Logie, I'm fine! I stayed up late last night, which is why I'm tired. I'm warm because I'm wearing a sweatshirt, jacket, sweater, gloves, and my beanie! That car isn't exactly as cold as it is out here." He lifted his arms in the air and sighed, which sounded like a wheeze to Logan's ears.

"Let's just go inside, record some songs, and go home. Okay?" Kendall raised his eyebrow and stared at Logan. Logan let out a frustrated sigh and looked at the ground, there was no way he was going to win this battle. Kendall had a thing for downplaying his feelings. If he broke an arm, he wouldn't yell or cry. He would simply say it was nothing and insist that the game keep going. Logan knew a lost cause when he saw one, and decided to let Kendall have his way _for now. _There was NO WAY he was going to not bring this up with Mrs. Knight.

Logan nodded and pasted a smile on his face, rubbing his hands to create friction. "Yeah, fine. I feel like I'm about to freeze, anways. Besides! I don't know how long James and Carlos will be able to last alone with Gustavo on a rampage."

Kendall let out a small chuckle and began walking to the entrance with Logan by his side.

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James and Carlos were cowering in the corner of the recording booth when Logan and Kendall finally showed up.

Immediatley, they jumped to their feet and pointed to the man behind the glass. Gustavo sat there with an evil glare behind his yellow shades.

"He's an evil man! _Evil!_" James whispered, using his gloved hand to cover the mic. Kendall smirked and walked over to the window, waving at his boss. Logan just rubbed the back of his head and stood next to Carlos and James.

"Here we go..."

Logan prepared himself for one of Kendall's rants that he would use to anger Gustavo, but it never came. Kendall just walked back over to the guys and took his place by the mic, taking in a slow and deep breath. This made Logan even more worried. Kendall wasn't being himself today.

Logan's head snapped up at the sound of Gustavo's roaring voice. He listened as the producer went on and on about how they were stupid teenagers, and how they need to learn to respect their elders and should come to work on time, blah blah blah... But he wasn't listening. All of his attention was focused on Kendall. He took in his appearance.

Kendall's usaully bright green eyes had a tinge of red in the whites. His hair and clothes were rumpled, and his mouth was set in a thin line. Like he had noticed before, Kendall's face had taken a pink tinge to it, making him look like he was blushing. His posture was also slouched, making him look like he hadn't slept in a month. Logan wanted to be a doctor when he grew up, so in his free time, he usually looks up different medical procedures, symptoms, diagnostics...

Everything that a great doctor would need to know. That's why when he first saw Kendall in the car, he automatically knew something was up.

His thoughts were ended when he heard the familiar tunes begin to play in the room. Logan mimicked his friends and placed the black earphones on his head, blocking out all of the sound around him. The song, Halfway There, began to fill his ears and brain, making him unable to think of anything else. Every so often, he would cast a glance to his side, checking up on Kendall while it was his turn to sing. Logan got a little less worried and eventually stopped glancing over while the went through their nurmerous songs.

Kendall wasn't showing any obvious signs of distress.

Everything was going great. Their voices sounded great, all of the songs wre coming out perfectly on the first try...

That is, until Kendall started wheezing into the mic. Whenever it came Kendall's turn to sing, he would start the verse, his voice would break, and then it would lead him to a cough. The three other guys threw worried glances to eachother, none of them knowing what was going on. Logan finally threw off his earphones when he saw Kendall's face begin to turn a greenish tinge. Kendall has taking deep breaths when Logan made his way over to him.

"Kendall, are you okay?" He placed his hand on his friend's back, hoping to offer some comfort. James and Carlos walked around to Kendall's other side, trying to get a look at their friend's face.

"I... don't... know..." Kendall got out, before emptying out his stomach of what little breakfast he had. Kendall began to dry heave as Gustavo and Kelly made their way into the room. Logan, Carlos, and James were beginning to freak out. Big time.

"Logan! What's wrong with him?"

"Is he sick?"

"No duh, you idiot!"

"Should we call the ambulance?"

"How long has he been like this!"

Their yelling was exchanged across the room, and everyone was so caught up in the moment that they forgot about the one that they were arguing about. Kendall clutched his chest as he felt his heart begin to tighten. He whimpered and stuck out his other arm as he slid down against the wall. He felt like he couldn't breathe. Panic began to rise in him. What was happening? He had only felt like this once before in his life, but he thought that was a one time deal! Not something that comes back... Maybe it was just the stress of work finally taking it's toll on him.

Kendall looked at his friends and tried to get words out of his mouth. He managed to get two before subcuming to the darkness.

"Guys... _Help." _

_

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**And there you have it! Chapter 3 of Romantic Heart. FINALLY! Lol. As I promised, I made it over 2,000 words :D I think you guys deserved a longer chapter since you have been so patient with me. I love you guys so much for that! I'll update again on the weekends :D I will not make the same mistake twice! **

**Hope you guys liked this chapter, and that it left you in SUSPENSSSSSE. Lol. Reviews are appreciated :D**

**Whatever the aliens say,**

**TealMoose**

_**And there you have it.**_


	4. Chapter 4

"He looks dead."

"But he's not."

"Yeah, the doctor said it was just the beginnings of Strep throat. It would've helped if Kendall had said something earlier though..."

"So... He's not gonna die?"

"Pshht. Carlos, someone can't die because of Strep... Can they Logan?"

"Not with the one that Kendall has. Guys, he's gonna be fine. No problems."

"Okay. Hey!"

"What?"

"Did anyone else besides me notice that Kendall's been waking up?"

"CARLOS! Why didn't you say anything!"

Kendall had been listening to their conversations for a while, but had been too tired to fully open his eyes. He was constantly drifting in and out of consciousness, falling asleep to the soft lull that was his friends voices. He also felt like crap. Every time he sucked in a breath, his heart felt like it was on fire and his throat felt like someone was holding a blowtorch to it. Not to mention, his head was killing him. You could've taken a hammer to his brain and it would've felt better than this.

All three friends turned their heads to the face of their fallen leader, smiling when they saw his bright green eyes begin to flutter open. Finally, Kendall's eyes shot open, pivoting around the room to see where he was. He turned his head and discovered that he was on the bright orange couch, pillows stacked under his neck. They were at home?

Last thing he remembered, they were in the recording studio and he had Logan's hand on his back.

Kendall noticed that all of his friends were circled around the couch in a half-moon shape, all of them surrounding where he was laying.

He groaned and pushed himself up, trying to get himself off of the couch. The frame creaked in protest. He hated when he got the extra attention, and at the moment, every single pair of eyes were on him. As soon as he got into a sitting position, he felt three pairs of hands begin to push him down.

"No way, Brother. You're lying down and getting some rest." James scolded him as they made him go back down against the pillows. Logan nodded and smiled, huffing as they all retracted their hands and stood back. He leaned down and pulled a blanket over Kendall's chilly body as Carlos ran into the kitchen and James went to their shared room to gather warmer clothing items.

During this whole time, Kendall was hoplessley confused, watching as all of his friend's fussed over him and treated him like a five year old. So... he had Strep? Again? Kendall coughed and propped himself up on his elbow as Logan began to fluff the pillows behind his head.

"CARLOS! Hurry up with that medicine and stuff!" Logan shouted, moving away from Kendall's... couchside? And walking towards the kitchen area. You could hear pots and pans clanging together, and the sound of breaking glass.

Logan turned to Kendall and shrugged his shoulders; giving him the whole- _why did I even bother... _look. Kendall just shook his head.

"One second! Almost... got it!" Kendall widened his eyes and stared at his friend's as they walked back into the room together, Carlos holding a bottle of red and white pills along with a glass of water. They both stopped as soon as they reached the front of the couch. Logan stuck his hand out in front of Carlos.

"Give them to me, Carlos." Carlos smiled and dropped the container into Logan's open hands, while placing the glass of water onto the table near the couch. Logan quietly read the description on the bottle as Kendall looked up at him nervously, not knowing at all what was going on.

Logan finally turned the bottle over and two little pills plopped into his hand, rolling around as he closed the container with two fingers. After he finished this task, he looked down at Kendall.

"Okay, you're probably super confused..."

Kendall scoffed, only to go into a coughing fit. Carlos reached over and patted his back until the fit subsidded. Logan squinted.

"Yeah... Well, first off, you fainted."

"I sort of figured that, Logie. Mind telling me everything I missed?" He scowled, crossing his arms over his chest, but not before reaching out and taking the pills from Logan's outstretched hand. He threw his head back and dropped the two pills in his mouth, reaching over and patting the table down for his glass of water. He reached and found what he wanted, took a swig of the liquid, and swallowed the pills whole. He let out a sigh and looked at Logan, waiting for answers.

Logan continued on what happened after the lights went out...

_"Guys... help." Everyone's head snapped over to where Kendall was out cold on the ground, his breathing coming in shallow breaths. Logan was the first to move out of his frozen stance as he ran over to his friend's side, placing his fingers warily on Kendall's neck, afraid of what he might find. He waited a few seconds before letting out a breath that he hadn't realized was being held in. Beneath his fingers was a strong and steady heart-beat. _

_Everything was okay._

_James walked slowly over to his two friends on the ground, wanting to make sure that Kendall was alright as well. He cursed himself inwardly for not mentioning anything earlier. He knew that Kendall wasn't feeling well, but he hadn't thought that much of it. He kneeled on the ground and scooted next to Logan, taking Kendall's head and placing it on his lap, wanting to make his friend more comfortable. _

_During this whole ordeal, Carlos still stood stuck to the spot. A loud buzzing filled his ears as he watched a flurry of people running around him. Time seemed to be going in fast-foward._

_He watched as Logan and James went to their friend's side, and as Kelly and Gustavo ran out of the room, Kelly with her cell phone in hand. He watched as the paramedics came in, strapping Kendall to a stretcher and reassuring the other two that everything was fine, and that Kendall had just passed out from exhaustion and fever. He watched as James wrapped an arm around Logan's shoulder, and stared wide eyed as Kendall was rolled out of the room. He watched as his two friend's walked up to him and asked him if he was okay; waving a hand in front of his face. _

_Finally, he fell from his trance and looked at his friend's in the eyes. __Logan's eyebrows furrowed together as he watched Carlos's eyes tear up, water silently cascading down his cheeks._

_"Carlos, what's' wrong? Kendall's going to be okay. He was just tired." Carlos looked at the ground and nodded, furiously wiping at his face to get rid of the tears. _

_James sighed and led his two smaller friend's out of the small recording booth, making way for the custodians who were there to clean up the mess that Kendall left behind. He gave them a tight smile and nodded as he left the room, thanking them for taking care of it. He guided Logan and Carlos through the hallways of Roque Records, and got them all the way to the curb outside, where they could here a siren wailing in the distance. _

_That was Kendall._

_They all sat together on the sidewalk, waiting for Mrs. Knight to come and pick them up. Logan had Kelly call her as soon as she got off of the phone with 911. _

_The wait was in silence as they sat, wondering what possibly could be happening. Carlos sniffled repeatedley. Logan fumbled with his shoelaces. James played with the hem of his lucky tee. All of their heads shot up when they heard the squealing of tires, and the sound of a car horn blaring through the streets. Mrs. Knight. A large rented mini-van rolled up next to the curb and the automatic door was thrown open, causing all of the guy's to jump up and climb in. The door slammed behind them as Mrs. Knight stepped on the gas and the car sped away from the main entrance. _

_There were only three things that could really upset Mrs. Challen Knight. One: When you insult her cooking. You talk bad about her food, you don't eat at all. Two: When you ask her about why she is called Mrs. when she clearly has no husband (That's a whole other story that won't be gotten into at the moment...) and Three? When something is wrong with her kids. Whether they are sick, having friend issues, or are just upset about nothing, Mrs. Knight will go into an absolute frenzy. Sort of like she was in now. _

_ESPECIALLY since they had mentioned that Kendall was going to the ER. _

_The three guys squished into the backseat along with Katie, welcoming the heat that was radiating off of eachother. In all of the commotion, they had forgotten to grab their jackets and winter gear on the way out. Unlike Katie, who was bundled up to the extreme. They sat and waited, shooting nervous glances at eachother the entire ride, nobody making a single sound._

_After 15 dreadful minutes, they finally pulled up to the ER entrance, each boy sprinting out of the car as soon as it came to a stop. Mrs. Knight yelled after them to wait, but they didn't listen, wanting to get to their friend as soon as possible. James, being the fastest, slid through the doors first, he head swiveling around as he looked for any sign of Kendall. _

_The sound of beeping and wailing was deafening. And terrifying. He didn't understand why Logan wanted to be a doctor, having to be around all of these hurt people.. James shook the thought out of his head._

_He jogged between all of the curtained areas, searching and searching until he finally stopped in front of a small closed off bed. There, on a small cot, lay a bushy-browed blonde haired singer. James stood there in silence and watched his friend's face twitch in sleep, anxiously waiting for him to wake up._

_The peace was disturbed as soon as he felt someone slam into his back, causing his to yelp and fall over. _

_"Logan! Carlos! What the heck!" He grumbled and he picked himself up and dusted himself off. They mumbled their apologies and stared at their leader sleeping on the cot, an IV sticking in his arm, and an oxygen tube around his nose. They stood there for about 10 minutes before a doctor finally walked up from behind them, followed by Mrs. Knight and a red-eyed Katie. The doctor offered the boys a warm smile as he stuck his hand out. Each boy shook it._

_"Hello there boys. My name is Dr. Freidman. I've been taking care of your friend along with my partner Nurse Angela. I assure you, he is in the best of hands." Logan nodded and looked at the doctor straight in the eyes while the other two looked at their shoes. Logan spoke up first._

_"So what's wrong with our friend?" He asked impatiently, wanting to get out of this place as soon as possible. Though he wanted to be a doctor, he didn't like seeing one of his friend's here. The doctor wiped his forehead and looked down at his clipboard, flipping through endless sheets of information about Kendall's medical history. Dr. Freidman looks up and sighs. _

_"There's no need to worry, son. Your friend is going to be just fine in a couple of days. He's just got a case of Strep throat. It's probably from contracting in so much of this cold air... It has gotten quite chilly, hasn't it?" He chuckled at his own joke, and the boys nodded mutely. Doctor Freidman continued._

_"So, we've got your friend on antibiotics, called Amoxicillin, which is going to fight off the infection. Actually, since we've already started, he should be no longer contagious in a couple of hours." James, Carlos, Logan, Mrs. Knight, and Katie all let out a sigh of relief, glad that their brother/son was going to be alright. Mrs. Knight seemed especially relieved. _

_Carlos walked up from the back and suddenly asked a question that they all had been wanting to know._

_"So when can we take him home?"_

"And then the Doctor let us take you home. You can see your wheelchair under the sofa, cause Mama Knight thought it would make the apartment uglier. Aaand... that's it. So the pills you just took are the Amoxicillin, which should help with the infection, and we're going to get you some Tylenol to help with the soreness." Logan smiled, satisfied with his event telling skills.

Kendall stared with wide eyes, not believing that he was out cold for that WHOLE entire time. A shiver ran down his spine and made his body shake.

Logan's mouth went into a frown as he noticed the shiver. "James? How long does it take to get blankets and sweatshirts?" He called out, peering into the hallway.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! I want to get everything so that there's NO CHANCE of him being cold!" James waddled over to the living room, his arms stacked high with several blankets, multiple sweatshirts, plenty of socks, a couple of gloves, James's pair of purple Uggs, and Kendall's favorite beanie. He struggled over to the couch and let go of all of the clothing items in front of Carlos and Logan. Kendall raised his eyebrow from his spot on the couch.

"How exactly do you expect me to fit in all of that?" He chuckled, gesturing to the giant pile of warm clothes on the ground.

"Uh, I don't know! I'm not the thinker of the group! I just do as I'm told." James strutted out of the door, combing his hair as he walked down to the main lobby. Since his friend was doing okay, he could afford to leave him alone.

Carlos and Logan stared at the ground, trying to find out what to do with all of the junk that James gave them.

"Uh, Kendall. You may want to stand up for this." Carlos leaned down and picked up a boot, sticking his hand inside.

"Ooh. Fuzzy."

30 minutes and an extremely tired Logan and Carlos later, Kendall was covered in every single article and blanket that James had brought them. Even the shoes.

After dressing Kendall in all of the clothing and giving him the medicine, Kendall told Logan and Carlos to take a break and go somewhere to relax, since they were so tired. They could affored to leave him alone for an hour or two, he had told them. So that's what the didn't. Even if Logan was very hesitant to do so. After much persuading and a small mention of Camille's name, Logan left the apartment, leaving everything that Kendall would need within arms-reach.

Kendall looked at the table, barely paying attention to the rambling TV in the background. His attention was focused on the medicine on the table. All of it seemed very familiar to him. Not just the medicine, but the whole scene that went on. The fainting, the sore throat, the medications... Kendall sucked in a breath as his heart clenched painfully. His hand shot out and clenched onto the couch cushion, his grip tightning along with his heart.

He rode out the pain, and let out the breath. He panted, closing his eyes and making an involuntary sniff, tiny tears forming in his eyes. He remembered this pain.

Maybe the doctor missed something. Maybe he didn't have just Strep throat. Maybe...

It was back.

* * *

**I'm a horrible person... I suck AND I should go die in a hole. How long has it been since I updated? Like, three or four weeks? WHO DOES THAT? Seriously... You all have full permission to hate me as much as you want :( Cause I really have no excuse besides fencing practice (school end-6:30pm), grades, and stupid flippin writers block. Not to mention the Holiday stress. So you may throw rocks at me. Go on. Do it. **

**Reviews from those who will forgive? *holds up a pocket sized Logan, James, Carlos, and Kendall* For _them?_**

**The aliens won't even say anything to me, cause they hate me too...**

**TealMoose**


	5. Chapter 5

**This is long overdue.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush.**

* * *

Carlos squinted his eyes as he stared at the picture hanging in front of his face.

_Is it... a dog? With a bicycle? _He questioned to himself and turned his helmet protected head to the side, trying to get a better look at the giant mesh of water colors. The painting hung on the dull white walls of the waiting area, attempting to bring some light and cheeriness into the boring room. There were blocks and toddlers scattered all over the floor, the squeals of laughter breaking through the quiet lull of beeping monitors and humming lights.

The doctor's office was in a small wing connected to the main hospital, allowing patients to be admitted as soon as possible if they were ailing or had a broken limb. The main lobby of the many offices was rather plain. The walls were splashed with a creamy white color, and the floor was made of speckled colorful tiles. Unlike the children's section, which consisted of a dull blue carpeting. The temperature was chilly, and the lighting was a bit dim.

Nurses walked back and forth between the hallways, moving from one doctor's room to the next, bringing the worried patients to what they believed was their impending doom. And never once did those nurses drop their apparently happy smiles.

Those smiles were more for the patients than they were for themselves. You cannot see the white glimmer of teeth, and only the corners of their lips are upturned. The smile is given for hope. Hope that everything is actually okay, and that you can maybe go home.

Carlos turned his head back and slid down into the cushioned seat, shutting his eyes as he attempted to stifle a yawn.

Carlos was not one of those people who could _wait_.

He tapped on the armrests and sighed, trying to distract himself from the intense boredom and nervousness that he was feeling. When he was forced to wait, he always got jittery. Carlos was, as you know, a very energetic person. He never liked sitting still or being patient for anything or anyone.

So this? This was torture.

But he forced himself to stay behaved and calm, knowing that Kendall would be out of the office soon, and they would be able to drive over to the hockey rink to meet up with their other two best friends.

It had been a week since Kendall had contracted strep throat, and since then he has made a full recovery. James, Logan, and himself had taken extra precocious measures around their sick friend, and even swarmed over him like mother hens at times. Logan was there to give him his medicine and take his temperature, Carlos was there to provide entertainment and to make corndog soup (much to Kendall's dismay) when he was hungry, and James was there to sing to Kendall as he fell asleep each day, his scratchy coughing always being settled by the sound of his friend's smooth voice.

As awkward as they knew it was for Kendall, they could also tell that he sort of liked the comforting care of all of his friends, and would prefer them over a doctor any day. Kendall was not one to show his weak side off to strangers, and he barely did so in the company of his friends; but when he was sick, he allowed himself to be taken care of.

For the most part.

There were many times where Kendall would be determined to get up and claim that he was ready to go back to work, and the rest of the guys would have to restrain him and try to keep him down on the couch. At one point, James had actually gone as far as locking Kendall in their room so that he wouldn't be able to leave the apartment. Of course… that didn't last very long, thanks to Kendall knowing how to pick a lock from Katie's and Carlos's lessons.

So for the most part Kendall had been cooperative, took the medicine when he was told, listened to his mom when she told him lights out, and didn't attempt to sneak out of the house when the guys had to go to the studio.

Gustavo had given Kendall approximately one week to get better, and had given him the time off. That didn't stop him from bringing in the rest of the guy's in though. Logan, James, and Carlos were forced to come in to practice their harmonies without Kendall every single day.

At one point Gustavo had insisted that they get working on a new song because of the deadline coming up, but they blatantly refused, telling him that they wouldn't perform a song without Kendall involved… which led to even more harmonies. But they took it like men, and came home with crackling voices and languid movements. At one point, Kendall was beginning to look better than them.

Which brought Carlos to where he was now. It had been a week since Strep, and Kendall was here for his final check up. As soon as they were finished, he and Kendall would leave the hospital, take a ten minute drive to the ice rink, and then split off into teams and have an all out hockey match.

But first he had to wait. And stare at creepy dog pictures. While Kendall acted as a pin cushion and had tests performed on his blood and such.

After twenty more minutes of waiting and playing "House" with a couple of five year olds, Carlos spotted a blonde mass making their way down the hallway. He immediately perked up.

"Sorry guys!" He said to the children, who were looking up at him in disappointment. He was the best Kitty they had ever played with. "I have to go take my buddy skating." Carlos watched as the kids stood up and patted their heads, repeating what they had seen the older boy do so many times to his black helmet so many times during their game. He smiled and patted his helmet back.

Carlos jumped when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, relaxing when he saw that it belonged to his best friend. Kendall had a bright smile on his face, and his posture was relaxed.

"You ready to go?" He inquired, seeing how his Latino friend was getting along so well with the small children. Carlos always _was _better with children then the rest of the guys.

_Maybe it's because his maturity level is closer to theirs… _Kendall thought to himself, smiling as he watched Carlos high-five all of the kids.

"See you later, you guys!" Carlos waved as they all started running back to their blocks and puzzles, and Kendall started pulling on his arm.

"Come on Carlos, I want to get out of this place as soon as possible… it gives me the creeps." Kendall mumbled, letting go of his friend's arm as they made their way to the reception desk to check out. As Kendall recited all of his information and cell phone number to the woman at the desk, he allowed Carlos to choose his sticker.

Five minutes and a Bob The Builder sticker later, they were out of the sterile building and on their way to the hockey rink, ready to get on with their day.

* * *

Dr. Friedman watched as his patient, Kendall, walked out of the building with his short friend skipping next to him while making ecstatic hand gestures. He ran a wrinkled hand through his now graying hair and let out a content sigh. The small red convertible sped off into the distance and Dr. Friedman let the blinds that shielded the window drop.

_All in the day's work... _He smiled to himself, happy that he was able to deem another patient healthy.

He sat down in his swivel chair and began filling out worksheets, checking off little boxes that would allow Mr. Knight to go back to work and begin singing again. He would have to fax the papers over as soon as possible, remembering how clearly his patient had been trying to get that across to him earlier.

_Any signs of dizziness? No. Any nausea? No. Any shortness of breath? _Dr. Friedman stopped the pencil's tip from grazing across the paper.

"Shortness of breath…" He tried to recall what had conspired during the check up, tried to remember if Kendall had displayed any signs of troubled breathing. There was nothing that he had noted on his paper from earlier, so the doctor checked off _No. _

He pushed his seat out from the desk and stood up on his weary legs, moving towards the fax machine to send out the sheets of paper. Just as he was about to press the large green OK button, Nurse Angela came sprinting into the office, her usual tight black bun was all messy and askew on the base of her neck.

"Doctor, you have to see this!" She fluttered the papers that she was holding in his face, trying to get him to take the sheets covered in freshly painted black ink. "These are the blood test results for Mr. Knight, and let me tell you… they're not so good." She retracted her hand now empty hand as Dr. Friedman grabbed the papers, looking them over with an observant eye.

"What do you mean? All of the tests came back negative…" He frowned, turning the stapled papers over each other as he looked for what cause the nurse such distress. He looked up at her and then followed her finger as it led his eyes to the small red word that dirtied the once perfect paper.

"Positive? Holy… quick, go to Lucy at reception and ask her to call up Mr. Knight. We need him back here NOW." Nurse Angela nodded and hastily made her way out of the room, running down the hallways towards lobby.

Dr. Friedman quickly grabbed for his own office's phone and called up the main hospital's Cardiology department.

"Hey, Lucas? Yeah, it's me Nelson, down at the Pediatric ward. Yeah… I'm going to need you to free a room for a patient that I'm going to be sending over. Uh huh… Yes. His name is Kendall Knight. He has Rheumatic Heart Disease."

* * *

**I'm sorry.**

**Whatever the aliens say,**

**TealMoose**


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